copyright 1996, Tracy-Williams Consulting
If the street forms part of a bikeway system, bicycle lanes may well be the alternative preferred by local bicyclists. For the most part, the best known bicycle towns in the U.S. have extensive and popular bicycle lane systems.

What makes a bicycle lane?

Bicycle lanes are areas of the road striped off for preferential use by bicyclists. They should be designated with striping (a 6-inch solid white line is typical), pavement marking (e.g., the words "BIKE LANE" or a bicycle symbol, sometimes accompanied by the diamond lane symbol), and signing like that shown below. These signs, with accompanying reference numbers, are from The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (see references), which includes a chapter on signing and marking for bicycles.



Bicycle lanes should be at least 4 feet wide, not counting any gutter area. They should be placed between the right-most through lane and the curb. If there is a right-turn-only lane, the bike lane should be to its left. There are several ways the bike lane can merge left to this position; they are shown in the Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities (see references). An early example from Cupertino, California, is shown below.



The diagram below shows a typical roadway cross section with bicycle lanes. On a two-way street, one-way bike lanes would be provided on each side of the street. On a one-way street, one bike lane is generally provided on the right side of the roadway. In special circumstances, designers have occasionally put them on the left; for example, if the right side of the roadway is used by high volumes of stop-and-go bus traffic.

Why not use curbs to separate bike lanes from the road?

While early efforts used curbing between the bike lanes and the rest of the road, this approach has pretty much fallen out of favor in the U.S. since the 1970s for a variety of reasons. First, curbs keep bicyclists from leaving to make left turns or avoid hazards. Second, they enforce turning and crossing conflicts by forcing bicyclists to enter intersections to the right of all right turning motor traffic. And third, the barriers can be hazardous in and of themselves.

Sidewalk bikeways, also popular in the early 1970s, have similarly fallen from favor. They share all the problems of curb-separated bike lanes but add a few additional ones. First, they mix bicyclists with pedestrian traffic in a narrow confined space. And second, they make intersections even worse because sidewalk bicyclists and motorists in the street have great difficulty seeing and communicating with each other. There is little wonder that early studies done in Palo Alto, California, and Eugene, Oregon, showed very high crash rates for sidewalk bikeways. In both communities, the sidewalk bikeways had the highest rates of any of their facility types.

How do you create bicycle lanes?

Bicycle lanes can be created in much the same way as wide curb lanes. There may be sufficient extra width at the right edges of the roadway, in which case simply striping that as the bicycle lane can work--depending on the pavement quality.

The space can also be taken from existing travel lanes by either eliminating one travel lane or by narrowing enough lanes to create the extra space. Eliminating a parking lane on one or both sides of the street may be another option.

Ultimately, it's best to modify the standard street designs used in the community. This can ensure that future road projects will have the space for bike lanes built in.

Note: Since bicycle lanes reserve space for bicyclists, pavement quality and maintenance are very important. The pavement must be as smooth as the rest of the roadway and debris must be removed on a regular basis.

What are the benefits?

Bicycle lanes are among the most popular bicycle facilities you can provide within the street grid system. Unlike trails, they can be integrated into the existing transportation network, often without much difficulty. As a result, they can serve important destinations and take advantage of existing travel patterns.

One of the most often mentioned benefits is the psychological effect of having a space reserved for bicyclists. Many riders find this a compelling benefit--one that can attract them to bicycling for utilitarian purposes. It's important to realize, however, that bicycle lanes are often more popular with average riders than with with highly skilled bicyclists. Skilled riders often use road position to telegraph their intentions and avoid certain conflicts. Such actions can be difficult to perform in bicycle lanes.

Reference:

Topics for further study:

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